What if a high end speaker measures really badly?


You know, it's true that I feel listening is more important than measurements and that it's generally difficult to really tie together measurements with pleasure.  Below 0.05% THD do I care?  No I do not.  I really don't care. The number tells me nothing about whether I'd like the amp more or not anymore.

In this one memorable review for the Alta Audio Adam speaker, I really felt shivers go up my spine when I looked at the measurements, especially at ~$20kUSD.   This looks like an absolute hot mess.  Does it sound this bad though?  I certainly don't have the $20K to test that out myself. What do you all think? 

erik_squires

Sometimes, it's the charts/graphs/measured specs that catch the eye and make the ears desire a listen of....   But having to explore and posit what v. why to such a degree makes this mortal consider that make these 'A' series units seem to be 'space finicky'...

You wouldn't know if you Really Like them until in Your space with them.

At 20K$-ish, one might be tempted to look about at 'other items in place' and enter  into the old '...what if it's the....?' hunter/gatherer routine....

No dog in the hunt (and no $ to join in, either), I'd keep shopping.

Don't need more complications in a life with enough already....

A 195hz 'dip' due to the enclosures' back panel...Occam's Razor, anyone?

Measurements are not important; it is how the equipment sounds to you that matters.

I’ll go out on a limb and assert that in the end, proper application of measurements always helps to achieve one’s hifi sound goals faster, more effectively and for less.

The trick is to be able to understand and apply the numbers properly and I think that is not easy but a worthwhile goal for any audiophile.

More good and reliable data informs better decision making. But the devil is always in the details. Practically though, each will end up finding their own way as best they can. Sometimes it’s the journey that matters more than reaching the final destination.

 

It’s all good. Cheers!

Efficiency is important to me as one of my amps (a class tube A SEP) has relatively low power...impedance is important, but the sound is really all that matters...and I'll never buy anything without auditioning unless it has a very fair return policy. 

@erik_squires - that's a very ragged frequency response graph. I don't think speakers have to measure perfectly to sound good - Wilson Audio speakers are not textbook. But there's a difference between small deviations and big ones.